Sunday, January 31, 2010

Jan Oostdijk and George Rutgers feel like they are living the American dream -- despite the fact that they're from the Netherlands.

The married couple recently moved from Europe to Key West to open their own business, JanGeorge Interior Design. They even live above their store on Frances Street.

"We know it's not the best of times, but I believe it's better to start during a recession," Oostdijk said. "We just wanted to be here no matter what."

The couple hope to bring a unique perspective to the island's homes.

"We wanted to present something different that's currently not available," Oostdijk said. "(Key West) is a very cosmopolitan place, but it's strange that you cannot buy the kind of high-end things people expect here."

Being from Europe, the pair feel they offer a different viewpoint and design philosophy than the "tropical" decor that abounds on the island, they said. And although they say there's nothing wrong with that style, they want to offer different options for everything from furnishings and window treatments to other design services.

"Mainly all the brands are from Italy," Rutgers said. "It's a place we love to work with because everything is made with such quality. It's not the cheapest, but that's OK."

The furnishings in the loft-style store have clean lines and white, washable fabrics, giving an air of contemporary island living with European flair.

"We don't want to copy a certain style into your house and make a showroom," Oostdijk said.

The duo said they also believe in mixing old and new. They enjoy incorporating antiques with modern decor.

"Everybody has old things from grandma -- family heirlooms or painting," Oostdijk said. "We find a way to integrate that."

Coming to America

The story of how the couple arrived in Key West rings similar to so many who have come before them.

"Like a lot of people, we came as tourists," Oostdijk said of his honeymoon with Rutgers in Key West five years ago. "I told George I wanted to see Key West because it's very special."

They soon found themselves coming twice a year. Then two times became three, and the trips became longer. They even started renting a house for a month in the off-season.

"We just wanted to a have a feel for how it would feel to live here," Oostdijk said.

The couple had run a successful interior design business in Holland for 12 years, but three years ago Oostdijk fell in love with the property that formerly housed the Haitian Art Co. On each subsequent visit, they would pass by the building and comment that it was still for sale and imagine what it would be like to live and work there.

Eventually they got tired of imagining and decided to take the plunge. So they put their home and business in Holland up for sale.

"We came in June and decided even though we haven't sold our house and business, we would buy this building," Rutgers said. "The day we got back to Holland, we sold our property."

Oostdijk and Rutgers admit their friends thought they were crazy.

"They said, 'You bought a building but you don't have a visa?' " Rutgers said.

The couple found themselves in a catch-22, Oostdijk said. In order to get a visa, they needed the property to show they were invested and had a means to support themselves once they got to America, but there was a chance their visas would be denied and they'd be stuck with a property they couldn't use.

Although their marriage in the Netherlands is legal -- it was the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage -- it's not recognized in the U.S. There was a possibility that one of them would be approved for a visa and the other would be denied.

"We trusted ourselves enough to take a risk," Rutgers added.

So far they feel their risk has paid off, he said.

"We are so thankful for being here. It's an experience that's overwhelming. We really feel welcome," Rutgers said. Their Realtor, Rudy Molinet, even wrote a letter in their support to immigration officials while they were working to acquire their visas.

"The 'One Human Family' motto -- it's so true," Oostdijk said.

"It's nice to be in a place where men can walk hand in hand," Rutgers added.

The pair said that as much as they hope to be successful in Key West, they want to be good neighbors and good stewards to the community.

"We want to be more than just a store," Oostdijk said. "We bought this (property) on purpose because we wanted to be not on Duval. We wanted to be in a residential neighborhood."

amswary@keysnews.com